UN rapporteur urges protection for N. Korean POWs in Ukraine, but leaves decision with KyivTwo North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine while fighting for Russia could, under international law, be transferred to a third country or granted asylum in Kyiv, Elizabeth Salmon, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on North Korea’s human rights, said on Friday. But she added that the decision is ultimately up to Kyiv, and that she would respect whatever course Ukraine chooses. "There are reasonable grounds to believe that in the DPRK, cases of torture and ill-treatment have been very well documented over the years. So I think that Ukraine has some legal obligations concerning the principle of non-refoulement. It means that one state should not repatriate people to a place where there are reasonable grounds to believe they would face torture or ill-treatment," Salmon said during a press conference in Seoul when asked about the North Korean soldiers held in Ukraine. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. "So, I think that it is up to Ukraine to respect international law and to make the best decision," she added, noting the possibiFeb 6, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
North Korean POW in Ukraine: 'There is nothing I can do if they don’t take me'“I would be grateful if they take me. If they don’t, there’s nothing I can do.” At first glance, the North Korean prisoner of war captured in Ukraine looked rather calm as he appeared on MBC’s investigative program, “PD Notebook.” But in reality, only one outcome awaits if he fails to make it to South Korea. “I won’t survive,” said the prisoner, describing what would happen to him if he were returned to North Korea. In North Korea, soldiers are taught that being captured is an act of treason and urged to choose death instead. “Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed,” the prisoner said. The two captured soldiers — severely wounded and lamenting that they should have died as well — are just in their 20s. Nevertheless, both expressed an explicit desire to be sent to South Korea, and not repatriated to North. International law is clear on this matter. Geneva Convention requires prisoners of war to be repatriated after hostilities end. However, if there is credible risk of torture or persecution, repatriation against a prisoner’s will is prohibited. Seoul’s sFeb 6, 2026By Hankookilbo
N. Korea hails economic policy achievements ahead of key party congressNorth Korea on Friday touted that "new records" have been achieved for its people's livelihoods, as the country continues to praise the outcomes of its economic policies in the run-up to a meeting of the highest decision-making party congress. "New standards and new records have been set in many units of the national economy, and the January plans for people's livelihood were brilliantly accomplished," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in an article on preparations for the upcoming ninth congress of the Workers' Party of Korea. The news agency said factories, mines and farms in the metal, chemistry, electricity, coal, machinery and extraction sectors have outperformed their targets, underscoring ongoing nationwide preparations for the congress. The party congress, widely expected to convene later in February, is the highest decision-making body in North Korea. The upcoming meeting, the first since the eighth congress in 2021, is expected to outline the country's policies on the economy, external relations and defense for the next five years. The regime has recently published a sFeb 6, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul official stresses need to improve lives of N. Koreans through inter-Korean exchangesVice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung on Thursday highlighted the need to improve the lives of North Koreans through inter-Korean exchanges during his meeting with the U.N. rapporteur on North Korean human rights, the unification ministry said. Kim made the remarks while speaking with Elizabeth Salmon, U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, as he explained Seoul's policy on North Korea's human rights and peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula. "The vice minister underscored the importance of making substantive improvements to the lives of North Korean people through inter-Korean exchanges and the establishment of peace," the ministry said. He also outlined various policy measures for humanitarian solutions to separated families, abductees, detainees and prisoners of war. Salmon voiced concerns over the continued isolation of North Korea, saying she is willing to cooperate with Pyongyang on areas where possible, such as technical assistance, according to the ministry. She echoed the importance of mutual recognition and respect between the two Koreas, and caFeb 5, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korean troops still active in Russia's Kursk region against Ukraine: reportNorth Korean troops dispatched to Russia for combat in Ukraine in 2024 were still carrying out attacks targeting Ukraine's forces in border areas, according to a Ukrainian media report. Citing Ukraine's military intelligence agency HUR, the Kyiv Independent reported Wednesday (local time) that North Korean troops were stationed in Russia's Kursk region as of January and launching attacks on Ukrainian border provinces. The report said the North Korean soldiers were firing barrel artillery and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) targeting Ukrainian forces, and conducting aerial and artillery reconnaissance. Without disclosing the exact number, the intelligence agency reportedly said the North Korean soldiers stationed in Kursk were rotated regularly under a bilateral agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang. It also said around 3,000 trained soldiers have since returned to North Korea, with most of them passing on skills gained in war to the North Korean army, according to HUR. North Korea has sent more than 11,000 combat troops to support Russia's war efforts since October 2024. North KoreFeb 5, 2026By Yonhap
Fears mount over N. Korea's arms drive as US-Russia nuclear pact expiresThe expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia is heightening concerns that a renewed arms race among major powers could embolden North Korea to expand its nuclear ambitions, analysts said. Experts said that the erosion of arms control among global nuclear powers could reinforce Pyongyang's belief that nuclear weapons remain its most reliable guarantee of national security. The Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, known as New START, effectively expired Thursday. Signed in 2010, the treaty was designed to reduce the risk of a catastrophic nuclear confrontation by capping the two largest nuclear powers' deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550. While the agreement had served as a key pillar of global nuclear arms control, it began to unravel after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when U.S.-Russia relations deteriorated and on-site inspections were suspended. With the treaty's expiration, arms control cooperation between Washington and Moscow in the post-Cold War eraFeb 5, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Foreign policy veteran explains why dialogue with N. Korea remains difficultThe prospect of restarting dialogue with North Korea has resurfaced periodically, often driven by shifts in political leadership or diplomatic messaging. But with inter-Korean engagement at a standstill, Moon Chung-in, a veteran security expert and longtime foreign policy adviser, said the current environment leaves little room for meaningful talks. Speaking in an interview with The Korea Times, Moon said North Korea’s strategic calculations have hardened, making both inter-Korean dialogue and U.S.-North Korea talks far more difficult to revive than in previous periods. Moon, a James Laney distinguished professor at Yonsei University and a former presidential adviser for foreign policy and national security, said Pyongyang now sees Washington, rather than Seoul, as its primary negotiating counterpart. “If North Korea returns to the negotiating table, it will demand clear outcomes,” Moon said. “Those include recognition as a nuclear state, normalization of relations with the United States, and relief from sanctions. But the U.S. cannot realistically accept all of these demands atFeb 5, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
N. Korea holds winter sports competition at home after failing to qualify for 2026 OlympicsNorth Korea has launched a winter sports competition at home, state media reported Thursday, after the country failed to qualify for this year's Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony for the ice hockey, figure skating, skiing and two other winter sports competitions took place the previous day at an ice hockey rink in a sports village in the Mount Paektu district of Ryanggang Province, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. About 50 competitions across the five sports categories will be held, the KCNA said, quoting a speaker from the ceremony as calling the event an "important opportunity to advance winter sports skills" to a higher level. The sports village in the Mount Paektu district, situated on a hill at an altitude of about 1,600 meters, reportedly houses winter sports facilities, including ice rinks, ski slopes and accommodations. The local sports event comes as North Korea failed to qualify for any events at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, set to run from Friday through Feb. 22. The North last competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea, dispatching a tFeb 5, 2026By Yonhap
Defense ministry proposes joint, partial management of DMZ to US: sourceThe defense ministry has proposed to the United States that South Korea's military jointly manage parts of the southern half of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, a source said Thursday. The proposal came as the South Korean government aims to secure control of civilian access to the 250-kilometer-long, 4-km-wide stretch of the DMZ. Currently, the U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC) administers the military buffer zone as the south-side enforcer of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. Amid the UNC's outright objection to Seoul's move, the defense ministry proposed a measure under which South Korea's military oversees entry to parts of areas located south of the barbed-wire fence within the DMZ. The South's fence technically runs alongside the southern boundary of the DMZ, or the Southern Limit Line (SLL), located 2 km south of the Military Demarcation Line, the inter-Korean border. But parts of the fence were installed north of the SLL to overcome geographic limitations for surveillance operations. The size of the area is known to account for roFeb 5, 2026By Yonhap
Former N. Korea-detained missionary Kenneth Bae seeks radio channel broadcasting to NorthKenneth Bae, a Korean American Christian missionary who had been detained in North Korea, said Wednesday he seeks to open a radio channel broadcasting to the North in cooperation with civic and religious groups in the South. Bae's nonprofit organization, New Korea Foundation International, and 45 other civic and religious groups announced the plan to open the radio channel, Korea Link, as they launched a joint association and began collecting donations for the project. Bae said the association has already secured a radio frequency for the project. It will begin with shortwave broadcasting before expanding to medium-wave, or the standard AM broadcast band. He said the unification of the two Koreas is the only answer for suffering North Koreans at a time when they have little chance of escaping their home country. Bae was detained in North Korea from 2012 to 2014 after being arrested and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for "hostile acts" against the regime. He was released in November 2014 through U.S. negotiations with Pyongyang.Feb 4, 2026By Yonhap
